Eels star recruit Zac Lomax’s high-publicised move back to the centres has been questioned just two rounds into the season at his new club.
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Lomax had a spectacular falling out with Shane Flanagan last summer after the Dragons coach told him his days playing in the centres were done.
The 25-year-old was so aggrieved that he agitated for an early release from his contract and took a $200,000 pay cut to join Parramatta from 2025.
Despite the fact Lomax starred on the wing for the Dragons and went on to make both his Blues and Kangaroos debuts, he insisted on moving back to the centres this season.
Eels rookie coach Jason Ryles obliged but in the opening round Lomax was caught out in defence against the Storm.
In Round 2 against the Tigers, Lomax was defending on the wing and attacking in the centres but it didn’t change the result as they were thrashed again.
NRL legend Cooper Cronk stopped short of calling for Lomax to move to the wing but described the situation as “a little bit strange”.
“Lomax was the big off-season signing, he wanted to play centre, wants to dominate the centre position, he spent three months practising the art of defending back in the centres (but) he does get caught out against Melbourne Storm a couple of times (in Round 1),” he said on the Matty and Cronk podcast.
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“Then to start the game on the weekend, he’s defending on the wing and attacking in the centres. I don’t know if it was Lomax’s call or Jason’s call but that was a little bit strange to see that unfold.”
Matty Johns didn’t mind Lomax playing two positions but said it made life difficult for the swapping winger in rookie Jordan Samrani.
“I like that because I think Jason Ryles looks at the team and says ‘right where are my experienced guys, who are the guys that can win a game for me’,” Johns said.
“There are only a couple there and he’s one of them and I think he looks at Ryles and says ‘look I’m just going to work out a system of play where I can get as much as I can out of Zac’.
“I don’t think Zac has a problem doing that, it’s the guy who plays alongside him because he mirrors it and has to do the opposite and that’s difficult for a young player.”
Johns did question Ryles however on blooding so many rookies at once after letting several experienced players walk out the door.
Ryles told captain Clint Gutherson and Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who won club’s best-and-fairest award in 2024, they were free to find new clubs.
Meanwhile, experienced backrowers Ryan Matterson and Byrce Cartwright haven’t been picked yet in 2025.
“Parramatta are in a very dark place,” Johns said.
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“A lot of those young rookies, at the moment, are just finding themselves out of their depth. A lot of them have come into the side at the same time.
“I don’t know many teams in the modern era where all young guys come into the side and everything just clicks. You go through hard times.
“That young Manly side and the Green Machine, those young guys came in and picked it up but they were surrounded by a lot of experience as well.
“So they’re in a very difficult situation and they’re operating without their steering wheel which is Mitchell Moses. That makes things very difficult, I felt for Jason Ryles, he walked into a complete shitfight, with Dylan Brown leaving and all these other factors.”
Cronk called on skipper Junior Paulo to step up in the absence of so much experience.
“I will say this, Junior Paulo needs to lead,” Cronk said.
“At no stage yesterday did he fly out of the line and try and rattle a Tigers defender to try and skittle someone… he just needs to lead.”
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